Apprenticeships - Advice Needed

jellynose

Hi Everyone

My son is interested in an apprenticeship as an electrician.

Does anyone know of a website that matches would be apprentices with firms?

I would also be grateful of any other advice.

Thanks

dmxdave

Might be worth having a chat with these people?

http://www.ett-ni.org/

jellynose

Hi Everyone

As my son has got his GCSE results today (all great thank god) I was wondering if anyone knows of any companies taking on electrical apprentices.

I have contacted ett as dmxdave suggested and although they organize the course etc, you have to find an employer to take you on.

Can anyone help.

Thank you

warmhands.coldheart

We have an electrical firm working in our place on a regular basis. To be honest from what I can see they pay these poor apprentices next to nothing because they know they can. Might be worth looking further afield outside Norn Iron in GB. Bigger range of companies and types of work..

comeandgo

But even GB will pay the appropriate apprentice rate which is not very much and son will have board and lodgings to pay out of it.

Mistral001

Have you tried good old Yellow Pages under Electricians and Electrical?

Bigcammy

Have you considered alternatives? Vodafone have an apprenticeship scheme and there's a vacancy in Northern Ireland for a technical role

gibbyni

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsni thats who runs the apprentiship's here, they may have info on local positions.

Also the pay is low but its the same everywhere as the company's not going to pay you full wages as you cant do the job properly until you are fully trained etc. I think the rate of pay is £4 per hour but in my opinion well worth the low wage if you get a good qualification at the end of it.

Dunroamin

Getting the employer placement is always the most difficult part of getting an apprenticeship, do you have any connections in the industry you can use?

ETA

If you're talking about starting this year, he's left it very late - he might need to do a year or two in college and then apply, although it's pretty late to apply for that as well.

jellynose

Thanks to everyone for their replies

I don't have any connections in the industry that I can use, if I had I would have tried that first. Posting here was a last resort to see if anyone had any ideas that we had not thought of.

He has already been accepted onto the college course, but you cannot start the course unless you have an employer. So completing a few years in college first is not an option.

We have been looking for an employer for him from April this year. We have been through the list of electricians in the yellow pages and have contacted them with e-mails and phone calls to ask if they are taking anyone on, with no success. I guess the economic situation is making it difficult for companies to take on people.

He knows it will be a low hourly rate, this is not a problem for him as he still and will continue to live at home, so bank of mum and dad will be helping him out in that regard . Actually at 16 he thinks £4 an hour is a lot of money :rotfl:

We tried the apprentice NI link above and spoke to them, who can tell you all about the apprenticeship course and then tell you that you are own your own to find an employer. I think that they have been pretty much useless so far.

It is very frustrating. In England and Scotland the governments have set up fantastic systems and workers who actively work to help find young apprentices places with employers, they work to link both up.

Our bl00dy government are busy arguing about the same old crap that they always do and do not seem to be interested in creating opportunities. It is little wonder that our young people are moving away and we are loosing people with the vital skills that are needed :mad:.

Thanks again everyone for your replies